Quote:
Originally Posted by Seaver
Nah... we let them vote we just don't count them...
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See, this whole thing with barring gay marriage but permitting civil unions reminds me of situations of patronizing exclusion: it's like they're making gay parents "sit at the kiddie table" when it comes to how people form families in American society.
Sure, gay parents can form a kind of union, just so long as is isn't a "real" union.
Actually, I take it back---it's worse than being put at the kiddie table. It's more like segregation, only it's not as painful to bear because it's invisible. But it's for this very same reason that it's easier to do. It's a kind of spiritual/familial segregation.
Many people are raised to value family, and marriage is usually a part of that. Think about how many of those who value marriage view heterosexual couples who have children out of wedlock or with only a civil union. Those who oppose gay marriage are basically saying that gay families aren't sanctioned by God and are, at best, as bad as having children out of wedlock or without a proper marriage. But there are many people (in Canada anyway) who view marriage from a largely secular position.
But it isn't that simple. I think many who oppose gay marriage also oppose gay parenting.